We stopped to see the birthplace of my childhood hero. Yes, could beat the crap out of Steven Seagal.
Just a small 4 room house on a corner lot.
We were told it was a Sears & Roebuck house.
It could be built with the door on the side or in the corner for a corner lot.
Outside the gift shop was this van under a carport.
A diehard John Wayne fan had donated it to the museum. I failed to photograph the inside but it was decorated in cowboy motif. It had barroom style doors leading to a bed in back.
The murals were very impressive. While we were looking at the van, we missed a tour of the house. Because it is small, they limit the group to 20 people.
The next tour would be in about 30 minutes.
This gave us time to look around the gift shop and read the many articles.
About 10 minutes before the next tour was supposed to start, in walks Patricia Neal. She starred in "In Harm's Way" with John Wayne.
She was in town to do a photo-opt with the governor later that night and was making her first visit to the home.
She was still a striking lady and stood beside a near life size cutout of the Duke.The museum had no clue that she was coming.
Being on a tight schedule and needing to be in the home without others, our tour was delayed. She was very much apologetic for holding us up. It was well worth it. They say, "timing is everything".
8 comments:
Wow, how absolutely fascinating. The photos are priceless, my goodness,lucky you!
Your hero was John Wayne. One of my heroines has always been Patrica Neal, ever since learning of her valiant effort to overcome the effects of a terrible stroke at a young and vibrant age. It looks like she's doing well. Thanks for the post.
I say lucky you too!
It looks like an awful lot of work went into that van. It was very generous for it's owner to donate it to the museum.
I love visiting places like this when I travel also. When my children were young, I bought a small motorhome from my parents so that I could travel with my kids. Wherever we went, we looked for such enjoyable places to stop and visit. These are the types of things that they now remember as adults.
Wow, You were really lucky. I'm sure it was worth the extra time. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Regards,
Mark
those sears & roebuck houses were very charming. some friends of mine used to live in one in indiana. bigger than the one pictured, and very quaint. i would live in that house in a minute!
It was fate that you should miss your tour of John Wayne's birthplace. Otherwise you never would have got to see Patricia Neal in person.
We like to stop at these little places too. Elvis Presley's birthplace was smaller than that Sears N Roebuck house. It's amazing how they have endured thru time.
What a bit of luck and how nice to get some photos! Good for you! She looks like a very obliging lady.
Neat too to see John Wayne's birthplace and that fascinating van.
Happy trails to you :) (I know, that's Roy Rogers {I think}. My hubby just watched an old movie of his..he enjoyed it).
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